Commack Fd-Fire destroys the Hamburger Hearth Restaurant on Jericho Turnpike.

January 8, 1959 0030 hours. More than one hundred wind whipped volunteers of the Commack and Smithtown Fire Departments battled a roaring blaze in near zero temperatures at the Hamburger Hearth Restaurant on Jericho Turnpike, for two and a half hours early this morning. Their heroic efforts proved fruitless as roaring winds made an inferno of the sprawling picturesque eating place and left only a stone chimney standing. The fire was well underway, with flames through the roof when members of both departments arrived on scene just after 0030. Commack FD was on scene until approximately 0500 hours. The fire was reported by an unidentified caller. Commacks Chief of Department John Beneke said his department was unable to contact the owners of the restaurant, located on the south side of the the Turnpike, just east of Kings Park Road (NOTE: Where Alcamo Pols is now, next to the Nissan Dealership). The Fire damage estimate is approximately $50,000 (1959 valuation).
Smithtown Chief Ralph Yarusso said that the cold was so intense it froze the pressure gauge on one fire truck and knocked out the electrical system on another. “we had to keep pumping water fast to keep them from freezing” he said. High winds of around 40 miles per hour created the danger of fire spreading to a hardware store store and nearby homes and businesses. The building was damaged beyond a point of determining a cause of the fire.